Dead Is Forever - The Last Prologue (EP) Melodic metalcore act Dead is Forever brought the heat with their new five track EP ‘The Last Prologue’. While, yes, I am notorious for being largely a huge fan of the “core” genres, these guys also showcased a very well produced piece and also promise for a band that is only on their second release. ‘King With No Throne’ opens with an aural tone - one that radiates light and relief which I came to realise (as I was listening through the piece) is a very commonly used theme in this EP. I am quite fond of it as a way to balance the tracks from getting too sludgy, which in combination of the use of airy vocals is a home run for me. It can be hard to get through entire releases or even tracks if it sinks like an anchor in the sea, but these guys showed immense ability to be able to step back and balance when needed. ‘The Last Prologue’ became very obvious to me why they named the EP after this track. This track is quite contrasting between those airy, aural tones, and heavy riffs and vocals but they are blended with care and it’s very well done-- I have a feeling if it lacked that contrast the track would end up feeling very empty. ‘The End of Our Beginning’ was an extremely pleasant listen where only forty seconds ended up having vocals, and was moreover an instrumental with a radio sample monologue on the end of the human era on earth. I was not expecting the usage of a track for this kind of piece, but something about it was strangely AFI-esque to me and of course I can’t say no to that. Overall, this EP definitely got some raised eyebrows from me when I realised this is only their second release. This is an extremely well produced and different EP, which are two things that I wish I encountered more. Job well done! LD
The Wilde - Gunning For You Immediately with the beginning of ‘American Dream’ as the first track on The Wilde’s new album ‘Gunning For You’, I knew I was in for a treat. I was ready for some good old fashioned rock n’ roll, and I got it… but only three quarters of what I was hoping for. There were some really great aspects of this album, and for a debut album it actually hit most of my marks but I wish it had just given me a tiny bit more oomph. ‘Dead Man Walking’ kept my interest the most and I enjoyed for the most part all of the tracks but I found it hard to sit for the whole track. I found myself switching to the next track before one was over, and while I liked what I was listening to, it was hard to see it through. That being said, the production quality was impressive for these guys being relatively fresh and this being their first release. Their promise of rock n’ roll was definitely delivered upon.
LD Encoded - Psychosis (EP) There’s something strangely… Limp Bizkit-y about this album and even if my “Break Stuff” days are over (or at least I think they are), I was not going to pass up the chance to embrace this 90s progressive EP. While it reminisced of Rage Against The Machine and Limp Bizkit, my two biggest guilty pleasures, I say ‘nay’ and move to destigmatize guilty pleasures - it was a dang pleasure! While I can’t say that the EP made any waves and brought anything particularly new to the table, I can’t complain that it made me smile and brought me back to my beginning days of ‘Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water’ (again, I am not embarrassed about this). For all those out there who share in this, this EP is the one for you. Although I wish it had ventured outside of the bounds of those already set by other bands, it was a damn good reminisce and I can’t dispute that. LD